Want a PPCPE. Need Suggestions.

[Monty Gibson]

I have a HP hx4700 that needs to have it's pins replaced (again) and I figured that the money I would spend on this device for a second time I would rather just put toward the use of a PPCPE. I need someone to help me decide.

Albeit that the HTC Universal is by far superior, $1000.00 U.S. dollars is a little steep (so says my wife :bawl:). So, that leaves just the few alternatives left. Now; I want Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and I already have 2 SD cards that range at 1 Gig and another one at 2 Gigs; so an SD slot would be nice instead of a miniSD. A VGA screen again would be great; but if someone could convince me otherwise then I would listen to reason. I'm used to the hx4700's screen and love it.

So, dear friends, my fate lies in your hands. Here is what I do with my PPC now: Music (daily), Movies (occasionally; once a week), Reading e-Books (maybe once every 6 months or so), PIMing, Gaming (once a day), GPS via Bluetooth (when I'm lost), and I'd like to get my phone integrated with my PPCPE. I used to have the very first T-Mobile PPCPE and loved it at the time. I'm ready to go back again; I think technology has finally caught up and some of the old bugs have worked themselves out.

I won't rule out any suggestions that you all may have, even the new Treo. So please help.

Thank you,
Monty Gibson

[PhilH]

Hello Monty,

My experience of PPC phone is fairly limited, but I can tell you I have nothing but praise for my Orange SPV M500/iMate JAM.

You may find the screen's a little small for reading/movies, but the device is just the right size (for me) for actually using as a phone. I wish it had WiFi, but other than that it does what I need and will do everything you mention.

I guess the new iMate KJAM will be about the same, except it's got a slide-out keyboard.

If WiFi and a bigger screen are important, the HTC Universal has a VGA screen, but it's big overall and I would feel silly holding it up to my ear and speaking into it...

[Monty Gibson]

Hello Monty,

My experience of PPC phone is fairly limited, but I can tell you I have nothing but praise for my Orange SPV M500/iMate JAM.

You may find the screen's a little small for reading/movies, but the device is just the right size (for me) for actually using as a phone. I wish it had WiFi, but other than that it does what I need and will do everything you mention.

I guess the new iMate KJAM will be about the same, except it's got a slide-out keyboard.

If WiFi and a bigger screen are important, the HTC Universal has a VGA screen, but it's big overall and I would feel silly holding it up to my ear and speaking into it...


The HTC Universal has Bluetooth so you could probably get a Bluetooth headset to put in your ear rather than hold that brick to your head :mrgreen:. Thank you for the input. Doesn't the K-Jam have Wi-Fi? That would probably be an excellent option, but I think it has a QVGA screen? I appreciate the assistance.

Respectfully,
Monty Gibson

[Janak Parekh]

Doesn't the K-Jam have Wi-Fi? That would probably be an excellent option, but I think it has a QVGA screen? I appreciate the assistance.
The K-Jam (HTC Wizard) does have WiFi, but with a QVGA screen and miniSD slot. In fact, most WM5 Pocket PC Phones use miniSD. :(

FWIW, you may find Geekzone's smart devices database (http://www.geekzone.co.nz/smartdevices.asp) to be a comprehensive start to browsing the Pocket PC Phones on the market.

--janak

[Sven Johannsen]

[The HTC Universal has Bluetooth so you could probably get a Bluetooth headset to put in your ear rather than hold that brick to your head :mrgreen:. Thank you for the input. Doesn't the K-Jam have Wi-Fi? That would probably be an excellent option, but I think it has a QVGA screen?

Yes on the BT headset for either Universal (JasJar) or K-Jam. Yes the K-Jam has BT and WiFi, and a QVGA screen.

Without the headset the JasJar is very awkward as a phone IMHO. Given that you will likely have it closed with the screen inside, you will not know who is calling. Openning the screen and then answering isn't terribly convinient. Beyond that, it is not bad as a phone, except for the odd bands, 900/1800/1900/2100, so four band, but not if you are in the US. You really want the 850/900/1800/1900 of the K-Jam.

The JasJar is solidly built. that's marketing for 'heavy'. If you are not a heavy phone user, the rest of the stuff is very nice on the JasJar. open like a laptop, or even swiveled around with the keyboard around back, it makes a very nice video platform. It does have the SD slot, but it would have been nice to have a CF or USB host for more (bigger) storage.

Yea, it's not cheap. No unsubsidized PPCPE is. Cingular is supposed to be bringing out their version (branding) of the Wizard (K-Jam) soon.

Not sure, are there any other VGA PPCPE devices? Don't recall.

[whydidnt]

The good new is that you have a lot more choices now than you did back when you had the T-Mobile PPCPE. The bad news is, I don't think there is a device that exactly meets your current wants.

The Universal is the only VGA PE device available to US buyers. Sharp has announced one, but it's Japan only at this point in time. If you can put up with the size, live with the the 1900 Mhz Band (TMobile, not Cingular) and, and are willing to pay the big bucks, then the Universal is probably the way to go. However, since you're wife says now to the price we may have to throw that out.

With phone editions, the invariable question that comes to my mind is whether you have a want or requirement to remain with a specific carrier, since there are compatibility issues between all.

After that I think it will be important for your to prioritize the size of the device. Is a larger screen or smaller device more important to you. Finally, how important is access to WM5?

Generally the GSM carriers offer more flexibility in phones since you can purchase an unlocked model and use it on any carrier, as many are doing with the K-Jam today. However, the CDMA carriers (Sprint, Verizon) in the US probably offer a better variety of PPCPE devices directly today.

My personal favorite is the Samsung i730. It's fast, has a good screen, EVDO internet access, sliding keyboard, support for SD cards and is supposed to get a WM5 upgrade when available. However it is Verizon only, so if you don't or can't use Verizon it's not a solution for you. Also, the screen is only 2.8" in size so it's will seem tiny compared to your Ipaq.

If you fill me in on your preferences from above, I'll be glad to give my opinion on a good fit for you. Lord knows I'm full of opinions these days! :D

[Monty Gibson]

Doesn't the K-Jam have Wi-Fi? That would probably be an excellent option, but I think it has a QVGA screen? I appreciate the assistance.
The K-Jam (HTC Wizard) does have WiFi, but with a QVGA screen and miniSD slot. In fact, most WM5 Pocket PC Phones use miniSD. :(

FWIW, you may find Geekzone's smart devices database (http://www.geekzone.co.nz/smartdevices.asp) to be a comprehensive start to browsing the Pocket PC Phones on the market.

--janak

I'm noticing that the use QVGA as well; which is a bother. I'm really looking at the K-Jam as a possible finalist. What do you think?

[Monty Gibson]

[The HTC Universal has Bluetooth so you could probably get a Bluetooth headset to put in your ear rather than hold that brick to your head :mrgreen:. Thank you for the input. Doesn't the K-Jam have Wi-Fi? That would probably be an excellent option, but I think it has a QVGA screen?

Yes on the BT headset for either Universal (JasJar) or K-Jam. Yes the K-Jam has BT and WiFi, and a QVGA screen.

Without the headset the JasJar is very awkward as a phone IMHO. Given that you will likely have it closed with the screen inside, you will not know who is calling. Openning the screen and then answering isn't terribly convinient. Beyond that, it is not bad as a phone, except for the odd bands, 900/1800/1900/2100, so four band, but not if you are in the US. You really want the 850/900/1800/1900 of the K-Jam.

The JasJar is solidly built. that's marketing for 'heavy'. If you are not a heavy phone user, the rest of the stuff is very nice on the JasJar. open like a laptop, or even swiveled around with the keyboard around back, it makes a very nice video platform. It does have the SD slot, but it would have been nice to have a CF or USB host for more (bigger) storage.

Yea, it's not cheap. No unsubsidized PPCPE is. Cingular is supposed to be bringing out their version (branding) of the Wizard (K-Jam) soon.

Not sure, are there any other VGA PPCPE devices? Don't recall.

Thank you for responding! Even if I had the $1000.00 I wouldn't purchase the JasJar; it's borderline laptop! The weight is what really concerns me. The whole thing just seems awkward to me. It's beautiful; but just not a real "portable" or "pocketable" phone.

[Monty Gibson]

The good new is that you have a lot more choices now than you did back when you had the T-Mobile PPCPE. The bad news is, I don't think there is a device that exactly meets your current wants.

The Universal is the only VGA PE device available to US buyers. Sharp has announced one, but it's Japan only at this point in time. If you can put up with the size, live with the the 1900 Mhz Band (TMobile, not Cingular) and, and are willing to pay the big bucks, then the Universal is probably the way to go. However, since you're wife says now to the price we may have to throw that out.

With phone editions, the invariable question that comes to my mind is whether you have a want or requirement to remain with a specific carrier, since there are compatibility issues between all.

After that I think it will be important for your to prioritize the size of the device. Is a larger screen or smaller device more important to you. Finally, how important is access to WM5?

Generally the GSM carriers offer more flexibility in phones since you can purchase an unlocked model and use it on any carrier, as many are doing with the K-Jam today. However, the CDMA carriers (Sprint, Verizon) in the US probably offer a better variety of PPCPE devices directly today.

My personal favorite is the Samsung i730. It's fast, has a good screen, EVDO internet access, sliding keyboard, support for SD cards and is supposed to get a WM5 upgrade when available. However it is Verizon only, so if you don't or can't use Verizon it's not a solution for you. Also, the screen is only 2.8" in size so it's will seem tiny compared to your Ipaq.

If you fill me in on your preferences from above, I'll be glad to give my opinion on a good fit for you. Lord knows I'm full of opinions these days! :D

I love opinionated persons :D! My beautiful (and BIG) VGA screen which I'm staring at now, is going to be hard to let go if I have to swallow and go with the K-Jam, as the Universal is definitely a husband killer if I were to buy such an expensive device. So, I will have to leave T-Mobile for Verizon, Sprint, or Cingular. I played with the Samsung yesterday as well with the Sprint "K-Jam." The Samsung was not appealing to me; big fingers, small (minute) buttons. I like the Qtek 9100, the black one. It looks sharp, doesn't have an antenna nub, and is unlocked. I don't know, giving up my screen bothers me... along with miniSD!

[Sven Johannsen]

So, I will have to leave T-Mobile for Verizon, Sprint, or Cingular. Why? If you are considering the K-Jam, it works fine with a T-Mobile SIM in it. Of course that's unsubsidized, and we are still talking ~ $700.

For what it's worth the K-Jam is what I am carrying at the moment. I find it does what I need to do as a PPC, and saves me from carrying two devices. I do miss the big, and VGA, screen of my X50v, but honestly the smallish physical size of the K-Jam screen makes the QVGA seem sharper. To me it is quite usable. I'm not one to spend hours surfing the web or watching movies though. I look up stuff and maybe watch a video clip now and then. I'm not gaga over WM5 at this point, but I love the K-Jam keyboard. Part of that is likely my familiarity with the earlier OS and my dismay at what was and was not fixed/changed. I expect WM5 will improve over time as the earlier OSs did.

If you want a phone edition, the K-Jam is a pretty good one, IMHO.

If you really have an issue with the screen size/resolution, I'd stick with a regular PPC, X50, 4700, and get a small 'free', after, subsidy phone. Even a $100 smartphone (SMT5600) might be a thought as you can use it as a modem for the big screen, and is pretty useful on it's own if you don't want to carry two devices for some reason.

[Monty Gibson]

For what it's worth the K-Jam is what I am carrying at the moment. I find it does what I need to do as a PPC, and saves me from carrying two devices. I do miss the big, and VGA, screen of my X50v, but honestly the smallish physical size of the K-Jam screen makes the QVGA seem sharper. To me it is quite usable.

Oops, forgot that I was looking at the Apache device (Sprint carries it now) and that the K-Jam was the GPRS device. Which one is better, is the TI OMAP processor better than the Intel processor? It would seem that the Inetl chip is faster than the TI chip. I'm leaning toward the K-Jam, but I actually had the Apache in my hand the other day at my local Sprint dealer. I don't like the all silver form factor and the black looks more elegant.

Which case are you using and which BT headset are you using?

Thank you,
Monty Gibson

[Sven Johannsen]

Which case are you using and which BT headset are you using? I'm actually using the belt case it came with. Same style as came with my SMT5600, but a bit bigger. Sits horizonally on the belt. I bought a similar Krussell case for it but it is just a bit small. Might wear in, but I just haven't taken the time.

As far as BT headsets go, I have paired a number of them with the device, Jabr, BlueTrek, i-Tech, but I don't really like them. The unit is, IMO, actually usable as a phone, so it is not that essential. I just get it out and hold it to my head. It's seriously not that much bigger than my MPX220 closed, or than some of my colleaques full featured flip phones. I have no doubt that whatever BT unit you get, it'll work. I do use the built in BT in my car though. That works marvelously.

I have a Jabra BT800 coming, but mostly to use with the JasJar. I don't plan to wear the headset. I plan to have it where I can get to it and check the number before I stick it on my ear.